A Pirate's Redemption
by rareromantic07
Summary: In an alternate timeline, Gohan saves an evil orange haired woman by the name of Zangya. However, she flees and goes into hiding to avoid any further confrontations with the Z-Fighters. Another seven years would pass before they meet again during a fateful encounter in Satan City.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Dragonball Z, nor am I affiliated with Toei animations. All characters and ideas are property of Toei and Akira Toriyama. Thank you._

_A/U: What's up! XD I know it's been a while since I've done ANYTHING on here but I've been craaaaazy busy with work. However, my life is back on track and I'm ready to get this story rolling. I've also come up with a new storyline for this that I think is even better. I make up for my garbo writing with some sweet, sub-par, not so good story… Telling 0_o. Just kidding XD! Anyway, I have a new story planned out as well that has a full on plan! **"A Humbling Journey"** will be getting published soon for my League of Legends Lee Sin try-hards (I fucking hate his Q and anyone who disagrees well fuck y-) WELL WITH THAT BEING SAID I would appreciate the feedback! I've gotten lots of great ideas from your guys in the comment section and you can pretty much say my "hiatus" is kinda over. I'll start becoming more active before I start receiving death threats 0_o. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading!_

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Chapter1

Pain.

Searing pain.

It felt as if the fire of hell itself was being pressed on her back as she saw herself being forced towards the boy she feared.

"No!" she cried out as she saw the space around her illuminate with bright blue light, the signature ki color of her boss, Bojack. The boy Gohan disappeared through an afterimage right before her vision faded to blue, then black...

-0-0-0-0-

"HAHAHA! So the little Saiyan thought he could take my attack head on huh?" the green giant lumbering pirate turned around and added, "It's a shame, I was really getting my hopes up for an epic fight after that little show of a power up, but I guess it takes more than a hair flip and flashy lightning to get stronger!" and to this he let out deep laugh. His voice booming through the destroyed ghost town, like an evil spirit finally free to wreak havoc wherever he pleased.

"HAHAHA-huh?" the massive dust cloud the ki blast had caused had cleared, and coming into view through the center of it, was Gohan. He had one hand up, his palm outstretched and glowing with blue smoke. He had taken the blast head on with one hand, and in the other hand he held the limp body of Zangya, the very subordinate he had just tried to kill.

Gohan set the slender space pirate down gently onto the rubble before flaring his power again, his aura reaching up twenty feet.

"Ahh so you do have more power now don't you?" Bojack said smugly, "How about we get a taste of wha- URGH!!!" before he could even think, he coughed up copious amounts of blood all over himself and the ground below him. A sudden unimaginable pain shot through his abdomen as he looked down to see that the little boy had an arm lodged in his stomach. It was gut wrenching in the most literal sense as the boy pulled his fist out sharply, the blood of the pirate being spattered out all over the ground again.

"Nnnghhh! Damn!" He clutched his abdomen momentarily. 'I have to finish this now or I'm done for! Fuck! That kid really did some damage!'

"Alright kid! Any last words before I finish you!" He raised his massive arms up to generate two large balls of plasma in his hands.

"Actually, one word does come to mind!" Gohan responded with intensity, his glowing body stepping back into a stance for his ultimate ki blast. "Ka..."

Bojack felt Gohans energy level suddenly spike tremendously, more so than he expected.

'Dammit! His ki is too strong! I need more energy!' His stomach gushed blood all over his lower body, his heart pumping wildly from exertion as he gathered up more energy as fast as he could. However, it was a losing battle as Gohan's energy level kept rising to knew heights he had not felt before.

"Meh..."

Growing desperate, Bojack screamed at the top of his lungs, pushing through the mind numbing pain his stomach was dealing on his body as he succesfully raised his power level to match Gohans.

"HAAAMEH..."

'NOOOO!' Bojack began to panic now as Gohan's power spiked to triple what it was before. 'I have to end this NOW!' Bojack thought as he barreled towards Gohan at hypersonic speed,a war cry escaping his bloody mouth, "RAAHHHHH!"

"HAAAAAA!" Gohan screamed as he let loose a ki blast that shook the ground.

Bojack braced himself, pushing his two plasma balls together to form a ki blast of his own. However, despite knowing it was futile to compete against a blast ten times stronger than his own, his pride wouldn't allow him to back down from this fight.

As the light of the Kamehameha Wave enveloped him, he caught a glimpse of Zangya laying unconscious on the ground. 'Useless 'til the end huh?'

And with that he came at peace with death...

That is until he felt his flesh disintegrating from the heat of plasma surrounding his body.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!!" he screamed as each layer of flesh rapidly fell away until just the bone was left; and even that too turned to powder sprinkled across the air, riding along the ki wave until it faded into nothing.

He was gone.

Gohan fell to his knees, suddenly feeling dizzy from the events set before him. He let himself rest for a few minutes before standing up and inspecting the area around him. "Hmph!" He powered himself up, knowing the job wasn't done. He'd have to find everyone and get them to safety, as all of the Z-Fighters were in critical condition.

'But first...' Gohan hesitantly walked over to where Zangya lay. 'Is this right?' he thought to himself. 'What would father have done?'

He then thought of Vegeta, Picolo, Android 18, and all the others his father had given a second chance to. 'Father would have wanted me to do this...' he thought, as he raised his hand towards Zangya.

He let forth a beam of soft light that ignited around the fallen pirate, flashing brilliantly upon contact with her skin. The moment he saw her stir and begin to move however, he let the beam go.

She opened her eyes slowly, 'Am I dead?' she thought. Suddenly all of the past events flashed through her head, and she grew terrified as she saw Gohan standing a mere two feet away from her. Her breathing sped up as she scrambled to rise to her feet, immediately feeling a stinging pain, followed by a dull throbbing in the muscles of her back.

She focused her gaze on Gohan again and was about to try and power up to defend herself before another memory flashed into her brain.

Gohan had taken a full blast while protecting Zangya from certain death at the hands of her own boss. She had been helpless this entire time, and Gohan had made sure she had made it through alive.

But her trust was not easily earned and she began questioning his motives for saving her.

"What do you want from me?" she spat.

"I don't want anything from you," Gohan said with a gentle but serious demeanor. "I gave you enough energy to recover on your own. In other words, I guess I'm saying I want to give you a second chance at life. I don't know, I've never done anything like this before but it feels like the right thing to do..."

"Boy, I don't need your PITY! Why didn't you just kill me!? What good am I here on your planet if I could just go around and kill anything and anyone I want?" she retorted, trying to pry into his seemingly righteous reasoning. She had lived countless years knowing nothing of people but how selfish they were, and she wasn't about to let someone get the best of her through spoken morality.

"I was prepared for you to say something like that, and I promise you that if you tried anything we could easily stop you and prevent you from doing any harm to anyone." Gohan kept his composure.

She huffed at his response, knowing that what he was saying was true. Regardless, her pride was severely distorting her rational mindset as she yelled back, "I would rather have DIED than to be saved by some kid like you! I've been alive for several HUNDRED years! You're nothing to me! You're but a speck compared to what I've seen in my lifetime CHILD! I WA-"

"STOP!" Gohan's aura flared violently and Zangya recoiled from the sudden show of power. "Great Kami! You're so uptight!" Gohan was starting to get a little sick of this pirate's stupid rant of superiority, "I just didn't think you deserved to die from your own kind is all! Especially not someone maybe you thought you were... I don't know... close to I guess..." He sighed in frustration, "Whatever lady, just don't cause trouble again. I'm done talking to you."

She just stood there in shock, a little boy had just saved her, and to make matters worse, he had complete power over her! He could wipe her at that instant if he wished so. 'So why doesn't he just DO IT!'

She tried to get up but still couldn't, falling back to the ground in a heap.

Noticing this, Gohan turned and noticed she was still struggling.

"Hey..." he said in a much gentler voice.

She turned her face to meet his with an expression that said 'what?'.

Without responding, he lifted his hand and she flinched. 'This is it... this is where I die', she thought as a flash of light surrounded her. She closed her eyes tight and clenched every muscle in her body.

'What...' she felt rejuvenated... somewhat at least. She now could stand on her two feet as she soon found out. She looked at the boy surprised and slightly in awe that he would trustingly just lend her more strength like that.

"I gave you enough energy to fly to the next city over. You can think about what you've done and restart your life there if you want. Just stop causing trouble, I don't want to kill you or have any more conflicts with you. So please, just go."

She stood up, "You sure you won't regret this?" she said menacingly...

"Hurry up before Vegeta recovers, I can already feel his power level rising. Go before he finds you himself. Trust me he's a lot more willing to kill you than any of us."

At that, she started to feel a new power raising in the distance, before hurriedly jumping off the ground and flying towards the city, masking her energy as best as possible so as not to be caught by any fighters.

"Kid..." she huffed and spun to meet Gohan's eyes again, "I owe you, but after I repay you, we're back to being enemies understand?"

"Make sure you're strong by then, and as long as you don't hurt innocents I'll fight with you again all you want!" Gohan could feel his father's fighting spirit within him as he happily exclaimed the last past.

With that, she turned and flew away sighing in relief and frustration. There was something about that boy that didn't sit right with her. It wasn't even the fact that they were enemies, something just felt off within her when she thought about his face. 'What a naive kid...'


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Dragonball Z, nor am I affiliated with Toei animations. All characters and ideas are property of Toei and Akira Toriyama. Thank you._

_A/U: Welcome back to... DRAGONBALL ZEEEEE! Will Gohan land the cougar of his dreams? Does he even dream of cougars? Do I mean cougar as in the several hundred year old Zangya?! Or Nidalee?! The world may NEVER KNOW..._

_I'm fucking wierd as hell, enjoy the chapter! XD_

_(Oh and thanks for reading! :D)_

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Chapter 2

"God can I get a break? HURRY UP!" she honked her horn repeatedly along with the rest of the crowd of cars. "I'm gonna be late!" she said, throwing her head back and giving an exaggerated groan of frustration. As she did so she caught a look of herself in the mirror, her orange curls falling over her white skin and sharp eyes. "AND I forgot to fix my hair!" Just another frustration to her morning.

Without thinking too much about it, she swiftly tied her hair back, leaving a strand of hair loose from the right corner of her hairline. She blew at it, watching it swirl in the wind of her breath before it settled back down gently on the side of her cheek.

"Whatever."

Satisfied that traffic was finally moving she stepped on the gas and cruised quietly to her workplace. Not a word was said as she drove, she simply took in the view of the city, watching tall buildings loom over head and other drivers in their vehicle capsules pass by. A little girl chased her friend down the sidewalk as he laughed, a man looked at his watch, tapping his foot as he waited outside of a corporate building. She smiled as a young boy stared up at a sign for for a martial arts school.

Satan City Dojo.

She was used to fake people and having to deal with them. In fact it was an everyday thing, as she was a security guard and had to constantly keep overly-friendly people in check. She pulled herself out of thought upon arriving to her duty area.

"Its Ms. Saido," she said to the intercom.

"Ah! Ms. Saido! Right on the nick of time! I thought you were gonna be late again! Haha!" Ms. Saido rolled her eyes and continued driving as the gate opened to the mansion she worked at.

Out of all the fake people she had ever met in her life, even her adoptive father, the worst she knew of was the very man she now worked for. "God, this man..." she said as she walked up to the Satan Mansion. The trimmed shrubbery, the cut grass, the sign that very clearly stated "SATAN" at the top story of the mansion, the very MANSION itself. He didn't deserve any of this. Even with her heart where it was, as she wasn't exactly the nicest person, she herself at least had the decency to accept responsibility for her own and actions, and to acknowledge when she actually deserved what was given to her.

Speaking on what was given to her, on more than one occasion, the man himself, Mr. Satan, had invited her down to drink a little and have small talk.

Well, she drank a little. He practically chugged sake and whiskey like it was water.

Depending on how rough her shift was that day, she'd accept his invite. "Free drinks are free drinks," she would say, and would happily shoot a shot of whiskey down her throat. But that was all, she made sure to stay sober to drive home despite being offered more. Because of this, she always remembered their conversations, whereas he did not. He never remembered anything he told her, and sometimes she was surprised he even remembered her face after drinking so heavily. But one night was particularly bad, he was drinking far more than usual before he began talking.

"You know, I don't think I've... told uhh..." he belched, "excuse me. Mmmmm listen. You know how everyone... like... heh... thinks I defeated Cell?"

"Ah yes. Let me guess, you didn't huh?"

"Wha-whaaat... how do you... oh whatever, the point is I didn't. In fact you wouldn't believe who DID!"

She slowly thought to herself believing she already knew the answer. "It was probably Goku huh?" she asked. Everyone who did the research knew of the legendary Goku and how he had saved the world on numerous occasions. "He's saved the Earth multiple times hasn't he?" she chuckled.

"No, it was the delivery boy in the film."

Her eyes widened suddenly, her muscles twitched under her guard uniform, and her back tightened. Gohan.

"Oh wow," she said, feigning ignorance, "So a little boy defeated Cell?"

"YEAH!" he exclaimed, "but he did it with these weird... light tricks!"

Yeah. Light Tricks.

-0-0-0-0-0-

She had just finished her shift for the day, being replaced by the next guard who was a big burly man. He was massive, a giant really. Yet what struck her as odd was that he was one of the nicest people she had ever met. "You're like a teddy bear." she would tell him with a straight face, and as usual he would counter "You're mean Agana! But hey, I think you're one of the most gorgeous women I've ever met!"

It was followed by a wink. Disgusting. And kinda cute, but she would never admit that.

"Whatever, I told you not to call me by my first name!" She smiled though, "have a good shift, don't let things get destroyed while I'm gone."

"YES MA'AM," he said, saluting so hard she thought he would chop the top of his head off.

She allowed herself to chuckle, "Mr. Ware?"

He paused suddenly, going a little wide eyed at the fact that she would even address him, before he narrowed them again and a goofy smile spread across his face "You finally asking me out on a da-"

"You're retarded," she said now laughing as she walked away.

"HEY! I'm not retarded! Well maybe a little... but you can't just say that!"

"It's true!"

Mr. Ware had the largest smile she had seen in a while, "Ms. Saido, have a good rest of your day."

"Thanks you to-"

"And don't be late!"

She rolled her eyes, waving and not bothering to look back. She popped her vehicle capsule, jumped in, and drove away without so much as a glance back. He smiled after her, longing to see her again. 'Mr. Satan, I'm getting her before you do... that's for sure.'

-0-0-0-0-0-

About halfway to her apartment, she had decided to walk the rest of the way instead. 'I've been getting a little lazy lately,' she thought, and began heading home by foot. Not caring that people saw her in uniform. What she didn't realize was the reason she was being looked at. With her locks of curly orange hair falling over her back, and the way the uniform hugged over her curves, she might as well have been a super model playing dress up in the middle of the city. Experienced as she was with human interaction, being social wasn't one of her strong suits. It was obvious to see when someone was lying to her or had obvious ill intentions, but when it came to her own image and how she came off to people, she was bit more than ignorant.

However even if she knew this time, she still wouldn't have cared. She enjoyed the gentle breeze blowing past her face and through her hair. The soft sound of capsule vehicles whizzing by, and the crunch of rubber on worn pavement from the one's who drove standard cars. Laughter filled the air as kids and high schoolers were released from school, shop owners outside shouting out and advertising their business, explosions in the background, gun shots...

"Wait what?" She suddenly whirled around, turning towards the source of the noise before seeing a man in the most ridiculous costume she had ever seen fly overhead and towards a plume of smoke that towered and rose from the city bank.

'Ah. The Saiyadork.'

She stood still for a while as she realized what was happening. "Oh god. I need to change banks," she said, and with that she took off, sprinting towards the commotion for the sake of keeping her money safe. And the people of course.

"Ma'am are you a cop?" asked a nearby police officer at the scene.

"No, I'm a security guard but I'm familiar with crowd control," she explained.

"Good we could really use some help, could you escort the civilians out of here? There are hostages and we want to limit the number of casualties as much as possible. It'll be easier if there aren't any people around that these bastards can grab a hold of. It'll only make the situation worse."

"Of course officer I can handle that," and with that she began working on escorting civilians out of the way, rushing them out as fast as she could so she could go in and take care of the criminals herself. "Excuse me young man I need you to leave the area, it's dangerous," she said to a particularly skinny looking boy. He was wearing a black Orange High vest on a white oversized shirt and baggy orange pants that somehow didn't get caught beneath his shoes. He simply stood there looking at her for a brief moment, before looking down at the name tag over her left breast pocket. She rolled her eyes, "Look I know you're hormonal high school kid but please stop looking at my chest and leave the area."

"Oh! Right! I'm sorry Miss... Saido, I'll leave right away." His face suddenly reddened and his eyes widened, "Oh and no! You have it all wrong! I-I was just looking at your name tag! I wasn't uhh... hehe!" He said, reaching up and scratching the back of his black spiky haired head. "But ma'am, I think the situation's already been taken care of, look."

She looked over to see that he indeed was correct on his assumption. The hostages were being escorted out of the bank by police officers and even Mr. Satan's daughter Videl. Some were crying from the experience as others laughed it off, trying to act tough. She looked back at the boy before realizing he was gone, and nowhere in sight.

"Eh? He was just..." she stood there, the bank was saved, everyone was back to normal, and the kid disappeared without her even noticing. Actually, the fact that anyone could get away without her knowing was baffling, it just didn't happen, as she was always able to tell where people were and their intentions. It was as simple as reading a book. ACTUALLY, how in the hell did the bank robbers get thwarted so fast? Even with Saiyaman arriving at the scene... "Weird, I'm probably just tired."

After finding out that the money was fine, and yes, the hostages, she exchanged words with the police before heading back home. It had been a good day up until the end, but she was relieved her financial status wouldn't be ruined over this. The clang of rubber sole tapping on metal sounded through her ears like a bell. A slow repetitive song that she welcomed, as it told her she was finally home. Upon opening the door to her apartment, she immediately started stripping down, throwing the clothes down on the floor as she walked to the bathroom.

'I'll pick it up later, I just need a shower.'

As the water poured over her, she mulled over the kid she saw at the crime scene. 'Observant little fucker wasn't he... he seemed unusually calm for someone right outside of shootout. Maybe he's just had a rough upbringing? Nah, he seemed way too innocent for that. I doubt he's even touched a girl in his life with the way he could barely speak to me. Or maybe... huh. I don't know. WAIT how did he escape from me without my knowing?'

She stepped out of the bath and realized her skin was tingling slightly.

"Oh shit I almost forgot," she said as she looked into the mirror.

Her curves were dangerous, and she didn't even know. She had never been one to view herself as the romantic or sensual type, however that didn't stop her from being naturally seductive. Whether it be on purpose was up to her, but often it was just unintentional. She didn't want a man, they were all too weak, and she doubted they could handle her in the erm... sheets.

She paused thinking about that, then frowned. Then the irritation hit her.

"I'm fucking lonely! Ha!" she laughed, before facing herself in the mirror again. She forced herself to relax, bringing a small smile back to her face as the skin underneath her wet matted hair slowly turned from a light peach color to a light blue green. She instantly felt better, as her ki reverted back to normal and her skin no longer felt hot. Super heating the thin layer of air above her skin to change its color was not an easy task, and was a trick that took her years to get a hold of. But it was the only way to survive in this world without being recognized for the destruction she sought to redeem herself for. This world was beautiful, and the fact that she ever wanted to destroy it ate at her conscious. She had come to call this place home. It wasn't a great lifestyle she had at the moment, but that didn't matter.

Here, she was free to roam high above the clouds without fear of being shot out of the sky by a challenging Hera, or to go out to the deserts and obliterate sand dunes when frustrated. She never had to worry about aliens, gods, end of the world threats, or worse like the way she used to, and there was still so much she wanted to do here.

Right now though, she just wanted to sleep. Maybe eat first, but definitely sleep.

Finally her face no longer itched and her appearance had returned to normal, a full blooded Hera, a proud mighty warrior. She was in her own skin now.

"Mmmm," she moaned stretching her arms up, "that feels good."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z, nor am I affiliated with Toei animations. All characters and ideas are property Toei and Akira Toriyama. Thank you.

A/N: I deeply apologize for the wait, but certain circumstances such as being sent across the world with no internet has its downfalls when trying to write a consistently updating story. To make up for it, I've started a new story based on span style My Hero Academia. I've titled it The Crux's Shield, and will be getting regular updates once I'm back in the states. It has spoilers, be warned, but I intend to make it worth the read regardless. Anyway, I'm sure you want to read the story so I'll end it here. Thank you for reading :)

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Chapter 3

"Hey kid, what are you staring at huh? Couldn't get enough of me last time so now you gotta dream about me too?"

Gohan gulped. Hard.

"Hey you said it, not me…" the red headed woman in front of him said, "I'd be offended if you were still soft,"

Wait how did she read his thoughts? And oh dear Kami why was she taking her blouse off? Not that Gohan was complaining, she had a very nice bod- "Woah, woah, woah! Miss Saido I think you got the wrong idea about me, this is all really sudden and I don't think I cou- mmph!"

In a split second the security guard was on him, her mouth firmly pressed on his, tongue swirling and wildly exploring his mouth. Her hands ran up his chest, sliding towards his back as she pressed herself against his leg. She bucked on his knee hard, jolting him as he pulled back from the kiss in surprise.

"U-uh Miss Saido are you sure you're ok with this?"

A smirk pulled at her face before contorting with pleasure as she thrust her hips against him again and again, letting her actions answer his question.

"Mmm yes! Gohan!"

His mind was spinning, his face practically a tomato as he lost control of his own movements, placing his hands on her hips as instinct took over. He rocked her back and forth, grinding at an unimaginable speed.

"YES! GOHAN! GOHAN! GOHAN!"

"GOHAN!" he awoke from his stupor with a start, suddenly remembering where he was.

"Young man I've been calling your name for what feels like the last 30 minutes!" His professor exclaimed before sighing. "Son are you ok? You're not feeling ill are you?" Gohan shook his head, his face flushing in embarrassment. "Then please pay attention to my class, I was about to have you read the next paragraph but I'll just ask someone else. Any volunteers? Yes you! Yes the one trying to hide herself…"

Gohan zoned out again slightly as he realized he had just been caught daydreaming about… about… 'Where and when and HOW did I start thinking about that! FOCUS! Focus on your studies and forget this ever happened! Focus on you studies and forget this ever happened. Focus on yo-'

"So Gohan who's this 'Miss Saido' you were talking about? Hmmm?" said a certain blonde haired girl sitting next to him.

His response came all too quickly.

And loudly.

"NOTHING!" The entire class turned to face him at his sudden outburst. His professor once again glaring at him with an unspoken warning before proceeding with the lesson.

"Uh huh, sure. Gohan you may be superhuman when it comes to studying and academics, but I'm not gonna lie when I say you absolutely suck at hiding the truth," a deadpan look from another one of his classmates told him that the raven haired deviant he sometimes hesitated to call a friend had decided to speak up about his 'suspicious' behavior yet again.

"Seriously guys it was nothing! I just spaced out for a little bit is all," he said with a surprisingly convincing smile. Had it been any other kind of daydream he would have had no problem saying what was on his mind.

But this wasn't just a regular daydream. This was… was…

Said raven haired friend, better known as Videl Satan, the proud daughter of Mr. Satan, could've sworn Gohan's ears billowed steam. His complexion turned several shades of red as he slammed his face down into his arms.

'Uhhh… Okay?' Videl had no clue what to think of the enigma named Gohan, but she couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration and tension coming from her chest. "So just for curiosity's sake, who is this Miss Saido you speak of?" she persisted, only to receive a soft muffled grunt from the spiky haired teen.

"Is she a teacher here? You referred to her as a 'Miss' so I'm just assuming. Did you get in trouble with her or something?" Erasa emphasized the word 'trouble' all too seductively as she leaned in close, her face right next to his.

"Were you naughty?"

Gohan promptly felt like he was about to pass out as Erasa sat back and giggled triumphantly.

"Guys lay off of him. I don't know why you're so interested in what nerdboy here even has to say. If he's got a girl he's seeing just let him be…"

Videl looked to her friend to her right, her eyes wide in shock, "Sharpener that was actually surprisingly mature of you… wow I didn't think you had it in you."

He looked at her with a smirk, "oh I'm just saying that because more than anything you should be paying attention to me. You know I could treat you better than a certain someone you obviously like."

Now it was Videl's turn to turn red as she sputtered incoherently, "u-uh but- no! I don't like anyone like that! W-where would you get t-that idea!"

"Videl you like someone?" Gohan asked innocently, peeking up from behind his arms. If her face could turn any redder, then it was proven right then and there as she simply kept her mouth shut and wrote notes from the class lecture.

"There's no one I like!" she exclaimed quickly after a brief moment of writing.

Erasa, the blonde who had teased Gohan in the first place, suddenly spoke up, much to Videl's displeasure.

"Oh so it's past liking now? You must be in love then! Awww that's so adorable!" she squealed.

Scratch that, displeasure was the wrong word. In fact she couldn't even think of a word to replace that as her head tensed with further frustration at her friend's very, VERY unnecessary comment.

"No Erasa," she said through gritted teeth, "it's not love!"

"Videl are you okay? Your face is awfully red. Do you need to see the nurse?" Gohan asked.

"What I need is for everyone to leave me the hell alone! I don't know about you guys but I'm trying to learn!"

Gohan cocked his head to the side, "but you weren't even taking notes until thirty seco-"

"Gohan just shut up and let me learn."

"But-"

"Abupbup no."

"But Videl-"

"No."

"Uh… Okay."

"…"

Erasa squirmed under the newfound tension, her eyes practically pouring with knowing excitement at her two friends' antics. It was seriously only a matter of time before they got together at the rate they were going. Or at least she hoped so. Kind of.

She'd be fooling herself if she said she didn't have slight feelings for Gohan, but she knew Videl had started liking him first, and to a much more intense degree… No matter how much she denied it. Maybe getting Videl to realize another person was after Gohan was just the trick to have her open up to her own feelings.

And maybe that was exactly what Gohan needed to see about Videl as well…

"Erasa you're scaring me over there with that look on your face. Your evil smile is creeping me out. Just leave the poor guy alone," Sharpener chuckled before giving Gohan a knowing thumbs up.

"Alright, alright I'll stop!" Erasa laughed. Gohan just smiled in thanks at Sharpener.

At this point the two were used to pulling each other out of tight spots when it came to the girls' interrogations. Actually, the two had come a long way ever since Gohan had transferred, and a mutual respect was born between them after Gohan had demolished him in a simple game of one-on-one basketball. Ironically, it was Gohan's first time ever playing the sport, but he wasn't about to damage his blonde friend's pride by telling him that.

The day carried on as usual, with the occasional light bickering and joking between the four. It was a normal day, which although in itself was definitely not normal to Gohan, it wasn't unwelcome. What was unwelcome was the constant daydreaming that would invade his head, like a bad omen trying to force its way into his life. He had no control over his own thoughts and more than once he would blush several shades before looking towards the wall where, hopefully, no one would notice his odd behavior.

'Why do I keep thinking about her? I mean sure she's pretty but I don't see anything other than that! I wouldn't actually do these things I'm thinking of… so why does it keep popping up in my head?'

His mind was reeling, and he became frustrated with the fact that he couldn't control his own thoughts.

'Maybe I've seen her before? Maybe she has that effect on people? What if… what if I'm just… just… a pervert?'

He deadpanned and thought about it.

'Yeah no.'

Gohan was a lot of things, but horny wasn't one of them. His control over his own mental state was something he took pride in as a martial artist, and keeping absolute focus was something he excelled at. Being a hormonal teenager was out of the question. He just shook his head and looked down at his desk, not really paying attention to the subject as he already knew it better than the professor himself did.

'Whatever it is, I can just try and figure it out later. Maybe if I run into her again I can settle all of this,' he thought hopefully.

'That is… IF I run into her again. Satan city is a pretty big place…'

The final bell had rung and Gohan found himself wandering through Satan City for no particular reason other than to explore. It was a rare day, as no criminal onslaughts or robberies were occurring anywhere as far his normal senses could reach.

The idea that he could simply fly around the city and explore that way crossed his mind, but he simply wanted to enjoy his time without the use of his superhuman- er- Saiyan abilities. Well, that and he didn't want a certain city hero chasing him around in her jetcopter as he flew.

He let his thoughts carry him as he walked, taking in new scenery that pushed the boundaries of what he was accustomed to. Instead of a quiet, soothing background of winds over treetops, the bustle of cars and kids playing outside filled the still afternoon air. With buildings blocking the path of high winds, trees stood eerily still. Yet at the same time, it calmed him.

Sure the atmosphere in the city was different, but it was no less enjoyable than walking through the woods for him. It was just simply that. Different.

Feeling a new found sense of comfort, Gohan decided he would pick something up from the grocery store for his mother to cook up, and maybe even get a little snack for Goten. 'Yeah they'll like that,' he thought. Looking around he spotted what seemed like a meat market of sorts, though he wasn't entirely sure as he wasn't familiar with the store names.

"Well if it says deli in the name it should have something…" He was just about to walk through the automatic doors when he patted his pockets for his wallet, before suddenly realizing he had left it at home in a rush this morning. In his fit of oversleeping, as he was stuck in a certain dream he'd rather not mention, he hadn't even stopped to eat breakfast on the way out. In fact, it was a wonder how he didn't forget his bag or to change into his school clothes.

And now here he was without a dime on his person. As well as the subject of his dream standing right next to him trying to get his attention.

Wait what.

"Hey kid you there? Helloooo…"

Gohan backed away with a start, his face screaming, "I'm embarrassed!" as it flared a bright red. "HEY MISS SAIDO! Uh hehe! I didn't see you there!" he scratched the back of his head, avoiding eye contact, opting to look at the deli store he no longer wanted to go to.

"Oh hey! You're the kid I saw just the other day aren't you?" the security guard said as she leaned forward to him, "and you remembered my name pretty well didn't you? Didn't even hesitate… say kid, you gotta crush on me or something? 'Cause if you do that's pretty damn cute."

She was inches from being able to kiss him, and he was sure she could probably feel the heat radiating off of his blushing mess of what he called a face.

"UH- MISS? Um…" he backed away again, regaining his composure, "I'm sorry Miss but you're making me uncomfortable…" he trailed off. "And! And I'm not interested!" he shouted, his eyes looking at the ground as he clenched his entire body.

She just looked at him. 'Why isn't she doing anything?' he thought as he began to squirm. He couldn't shake the feeling that she was about to lash out at him for making such an implication, yet no lashing came out. Instead came…

Laughter.

The same melodious laughter that he became hypnotized with the first time he heard it.

"HAHAHA! You should see the look on your face kid!" she doubled over, clearly finding his reaction amusing, "You really think I'm trying to score with a highschool kid? C'mon buddy get real! I may be young but I'm not young enough for you!" She stopped laughing abruptly. "Yeah and stop calling me Miss, that's actually making me feel old."

"But then what do I-"

"Anyway I was just asking what's up kid, you seemed stressed out. Anyway I can help?"

"Woah, you're being nice to me..."

"You saying I can't be nice?"

"No not at all! You were just teasing me so much I thought you weren't gonna even consider helping me…" he trailed off as she just looked at him. "Anyway, yeah. I guess I do have a little bit of a problem, I was gonna buy some food to take home to my family but I left my wallet at home. Not to mention I don't really have that much money to begin with…" he said sheepishly.

"Sounds like you need a job."

"Eh?"

She rolled her eyes again, "I said it sounds like you need a job! Ever heard of one?"

"Well I mean of course I have, I just don't know if my mom would let me get one!" he laughed nervously again.

She never seemed to get tired of giving him odd looks for his… odd behavior.

"Hey kid, how athletic are you? You play sports?"

"Uh, yeah… well no… I mean," he sighed, "I'm athletic but no, I don't play sports."

"Hmm, I have an offer for you, how would you like to work as a security guard with me, it pays pretty well," she said with narrow eyes. Suddenly Gohan's senses somewhat flared as he felt what seemed like killer intent for a split second. His face became serious.

'Who is this lady?' he thought, 'Now will probably give me the chance to find out more about her, something's definitely not sitting right.' It was as if he could feel the surge of power she had within her. But at the same time it felt… defensive? Just who was she? It had become apparently obvious that she was different from other people, but at the same time, 'she is a security guard, maybe she just has extensive martial arts experience.'

"I'll accept your offer, I just need to talk with my mother about it and I'll have my answer to you tomorrow. Or… whenever I see you again," the tension between them could be cut with a knife. It was mixed between an air of hostility and curiosity, and it became increasingly apparent between the two that,

'He's not normal.'

'She's not normal.'

She relaxed after a moment, not wanting to get into any sort of altercation or send any mixed messages. She got right to the point. "Meet me here tomorrow at this exact time and I'll go over your job details and get you signed on with us," she said. "Oh, and here," she said tossing him a sack of fresh beef.

He fumbled with the unexpected throw before clutching it tightly to himself, securing it in his arms. "Wait, when did you get this?"

"I was walking out of the Deli Mart when I saw you staring at the sign like a halfwit, you look like you were daydreaming kid."

"Oh," he again scratched the back of his head before stating, "hey can you stop calling me kid now? I have a name."

"Sure kid what is it so I can go home."

Gohan deadpanned for a second upon hearing her call him said name,, "it's Gohan," he said before shuffling his feet, "would it be alright if I had your name since you don't want me calling you Miss anymore?"

Miss Saido smirked, this kid- er- Gohan was learning quick. 'Gohan, the blonde kid? But wait this kid isn't blonde. Must be a different Gohan...'

"Sure Gohan, just call me Agana," she waved him off as she turned abruptly and walked away. "Now I'm off, gotta get my beauty sleep you know what I'm saying?"

'That was rushed…" thought Gohna curiously. He shrugged and started on his way home, already knowing his mother would be delighted with the idea of getting him a job.

-0-0-0-0-0-

It had been some time since Zangya had laid in bed, but try as she might, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that the boy she talked with earlier seemed somewhat familiar. Memories of her time on Earth replayed in her head like a cheap cassette forced into rewind. Painful flashbacks played again and again, from bad experiences to murders, to barely scraping by financially and worse… like memories of what happened to her several years ago.

"Great Kami you're so uptight!"

She flinched.

"...I don't want to kill you or have any more conflicts with you. So please, just go…"

Wait.

"...I'll fight you all you want…"

No.

A clear image appeared in her mind, as she recalled being held firmly in the boy's grasp. He was the one who protected her from an all too violent death. She had seen that boy without the power up, when he was beaten to a pulp. His hair wasn't golden. It was black. She had been in denial all along, and she now knew why the kid, Gohan, was stuck in her mind for so long.

Her ki spiked violently as the wall of her apartment cracked, her bed frame fell apart and her furniture flung to pieces. Glass from the T.V. flew about her bedroom and the door to the hallway was ripped off its hinges, tearing apart the frame.

"This can't be fucking happening!"

Her eyes widened and her body froze upon sitting up. She could care less about the mess her unintentional slip of ki did to her room, because right then and there, Zangya felt something she hadn't felt since that fateful day Gohan had let her live.

She began trembling as tears threatened to escape from her eyes. Everything she had worked for to build a normal life, everything she had done to stay under the radar, was all going to be thrown out the window.

Scared wasn't the word to describe what she was feeling.

She was utterly terrified.


End file.
